maltose

views updated May 23 2018

maltose (malt sugar) Disaccharide (C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁) that contains two molecules of the simple sugar glucose. It is produced by the hydrolysis of starch by the enzyme amylase and by the breakdown of starches and glycogen during digestion.

World Encyclopedia

maltose

views updated May 21 2018

maltose Malt sugar, or maltobiose, a disaccharide consisting of two glucose units linked α1–4. Hydrolysed by maltase. Does not occur in foods (unless specifically added as malt) but formed during the digestion of starch. It is one‐third as sweet as sucrose. First used to sweeten foods by the Chinese in the seventh century.

A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition DAVID A. BENDER

maltose

views updated Jun 08 2018

malt·ose / ˈmôlˌtōs; -ˌtōz/ • n. Chem. a sugar produced by the breakdown of starch, e.g., by enzymes found in malt and saliva. It is a disaccharide consisting of two linked glucose units.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

maltose

views updated May 14 2018

maltose (malt sugar) A sugar consisting of two linked glucose molecules that results from the action of the enzyme amylase on starch. Maltose occurs in high concentrations in germinating seeds; malt, used in the manufacture of beer and malt whisky, is produced by allowing barley seeds to germinate and then slowly drying them.

A Dictionary of Biology